The Spectacular Now

Rated R95 minutes2013

There was a really good movie that wound up being a blip in theaters a couple years ago called Like Crazy. It was a pretty honest portrayal of college-age love and angst that could rip your still-beating heart out. See it. And see The Spectacular Now, which likewise captures the unique experience of young love and all its highs and lows. The film stars Miles Teller and The Descendants’ Shailene Woodley as high school seniors who discover each other in some nowhere town. The film is directed by James Ponsoldt, and this is finding a larger audience than did his previous Smashed. The thing about romance at the movies is, when it’s phony, you can really tell. How many awful love stories have you seen? Spectacular Now feels genuine in its performances, stories and direction. That makes all the difference.
ByColin Boyd